In rooms adorned with formal dinnerware and tables of endless amounts of food, a large group of guests came to wish a dean, mentor and friend farewell.

University Libraries Dean Arthur Young celebrated his June 1st retirement Friday at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center after 42 years as an academic librarian, library administrator and teacher of library science and history.

After coming to NIU in 1993 from the University of Rhode Island, Young helped plan several of the improvements and activities benefiting the library, including the celebration of the library’s collection of its two millionth volume.

Being in charge of his own schedule is something Young said he looks forward to after leaving NIU.

“Nothing too exotic, I suppose I’ll get more into digital photography pretty heavily,” Young said.

“He’s done really important things for the library,” said Mary Monroe, associate dean of University Libraries and interim dean for Young after his retirement. “[He] was a great mentor to the librarians.”

Young said he was unable to decide on what was his greatest achievement at NIU.

“You know, it’s hard to pick one of your children,” Young joked.

However, he said he was especially proud of his work on the digital center in the library.

David Gorman, associate professor of English, agreed.

“He’s done a very good job of balancing things, especially among the Internet and books,” Gorman said.

Gorman also concurred with the general sentiment among most of the guests that Young’s sense of humor and ability to deal with diverse groups of people are some of his greatest attributes.

“Clearly he’s a good manager and administrator, but he deals with it with humor,” Gorman said.

Ivan Legg, who will also retire from his position as NIU’s provost, said, “It’s hard to beat his sense of humor,” after hearing Young had referred to them as the “bookends of the weekend,” with Young’s retirement party on Friday and Legg’s on Monday.